2008 Saab 9-3 Test Drive: All-Wheel Delight

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Oct 30, 2009

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Restyled to show off the bold look of the Aero X concept, the new 9-3 is actually more new than you might think. Saab told us that many of the components are all-new or upgraded—bodywork forward of the A-pillar is fresh, plus updates on all lights and both bumpers. It's available as a sedan, convertible or Combi (station wagon for us 'Murricans), but the biggest news is that Saab's finally getting with all-wheel drive.

Later this year, we'll get what Saab is calling XWD (cross-wheel drive), which is actually the latest generation all-wheel-drive system from European AWD specialty firm Haldex—the same company that produces the system for Saab's Swedish rival, Volvo. Many cars have traction control and some sort of active AWD system, but XWD uses computer-controlled center and rear differentials to apply power to the opposite corner of the car from the wheel that loses traction. The genius is that the system does all this in 80 milliseconds, long before the rear wheel on the low-grip side even hits the icy patch. It sounds impressive on paper, but even the brief demo we experienced on a grassy field in suburban D.C. was compelling. Grip was immediate and highly controllable, as well as completely transparent and absent of any buzzing, abrupt changes in attitude or intrusive braking from the stability control system. Nice.

The other news is under the hood: Saab's 2.8-liter turbo V6 engine has been uprated by 15 percent to deliver 280 hp and 295 lb.-ft. of torque on XWD models, achieved largely by increasing the turbo boost from a maximum of 7.5 to 9 psi. All of this is delivered to the wheels through a six-speed manual or six-speed auto transmission with Sport mode manual gear selection. There's also a more fuel thrifty 2.0-liter four cylinder that makes 210 hp and 221 lb.-ft. And that combo is actually fairly zippy as well.

There's plenty of other cool stuff on the '08 Saab 9-3, such as headlights that swivel to follow the front wheels in turns, a killer Bose stereo and rain-sensing wipers. We'll take a turbo Combi... for impressing all those soccer moms at the local Safeway supermarket. —Mike Allen